And The Winner Is...The Esplanade

We put in a bid for all five of our contenders last Saturday.  The crowds at each inspection showed us exactly how competitive apartment hunting is out here.  At one of our inspections there were at least 20 people waiting before opening! As we were leaving we passed by 20 more just coming in!  The realtor told us that usually, they would let us know by Monday.

Monday, we found out that our number one pick, The Cove, was off the market.  The current residents changed their mind and have decided to stay.  But we were accepted for our number 2 pick, The Esplanade!  We are so excited to be moving in next month!

It has a beautiful view of the boats docked in the harbor from the 2nd floor, which is the 3rd floor to us Americans.  I'm still getting used to that and have found myself getting off the elevator one floor too early sometimes.

Situated on the wharf side of Manly, it's right across the street from the water and just 400m from the ferry building.  The commute into the Central Business District is just 17 minutes by Fast Ferry which departs every 20 minutes.  The beach on the East side is just a few blocks away as well.  The location is full of shops, restaurants, bars and coffee shops.

We'll make sure to furnish this room with a sofa bed for our US visitors!

This kitchen could use some extra counter space, so I will add a hightop table to my shopping list.

The same balcony view can be seen from the master bedroom.

I remember when our ferry rode into the harbor on the morning of our inspections.  The captain announced that there were a pod of dolphins swimming by on the starboard! I was so excited, and when I figured out which side was starboard, I saw them swimming along and noticed there were several paddle boarders enjoying the company of the dolphins as well.  This was going to be my new home!

Apartment Hunters International

We spent all of Saturday apartment hunting in Manly.  This looks like the neighborhood that checks off all of our boxes.  All of our "Inspections" as they call it here, were walking distance.  We planned on 7 inspections starting from 10 AM to 1:15 PM.  Even though they were close together, I was able to rack up 6.5 miles of steps.

Here's our list of contenders in order of preference.

5.  The Spicoli.
We call it this because as we swung by to view it an hour before inspection, the balcony above the apartment had Spicoli talking fairly loud on his mobile.  He was complete with long hair and a couple surf boards on the balcony.  The view was ok, considering it was on the 1st floor.  It was the only 3 bedroom we looked at and had a large living area.

The Spicoli Living Room

4.  Gardenview.
This is a 2 bedroom townhome surrounded by a nice garden.  It had a spacious front patio and bright interior.  It's clean and roomy.  However, there's no view of the water.  It's only 1/2 mile (800 meters) from the wharf (but uphill).

Gardenview

3.  The Osborne.
The current tenants have a lot of stuff, so it's hard to imagine the place cleared out.  It was on the 3rd floor (4th floor to you Americans) and on top of a hill.  You can see the bay and the beach from the spacious patio.  The kitchen was larger and had the same amazing view.  The bad thing about it was that the carpet was a little dingy.  Maybe, they'll give it a good cleaning (or removal and hazmat disposal?) before anyone moves in.  Also just 800 meters from the wharf (uphill).

The picture doesn't do the view justice

2.  The Cove.
Just steps from the Manly Skiff Sailing club and a common area swimming pool right on the bay.  I can see myself having coffee on the balcony checking the waves before hopping on the paddle board in the morning.  This place checked off almost all the boxes except for a garage.  Great view from the balcony, even if it was on the 1st floor.

 







1.  The Esplanade.

This 2nd floor apartment had an amazing view of the bay and was the closest to the wharf at just 400 meters.  It had nice hardwood floors and a big balcony for dinners al fresco.

The Esplanade

We've turned in our applications and hope to hear from the property managers soon! Wish us luck!